Final Weekend Of Fall Racing

Thanksgiving Weekend:  November 26-28

The final weekend of the Fall 2020 Racing Season means a couple of things....first and foremost, that the Gulfstream Championship Season is right around the corner.  And THAT means daily selections and racing through Florida Derby Day in late March.  Second, Thanksgiving weekend brings Opening Day at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.  I had just returned from Ohio and my trip to Churchill Downs in Louisville in time for my monthly eye injection; then the very next day.....Thanksgiving morning.....we drove to Orlando (no rest for the weary).  I'd handicapped the Opening Day card at the Fair Grounds on Thursday and the Clark Handicap card at Churchill Downs for Friday.  In New Orleans the racing came off the grass so I lost four of my seven bets, including my two most likely winners.  In the three remaining races I ran poorly.....a distant 6th, pulled up and didn't finish, and a very, VERY distant last in the featured Thanksgiving Handicap.  On Friday I thought I had some solid selections at Churchill Downs, but again, went winless.  Highly regarded juvenile Dennis' Moment made his long awaited 3yo return and stopped to finish last.  Ran 2nd and 3rd, at least I was close, in two minimum plays in the middle of the card.  Disappointing close fourth with Looking At Bikinis, and then my pick in the Grade 1 Clark, multiple graded stakes winner Code of Honor was upset by 11/1 Bodexpress.....cruised up to the longshot at the top of the lane, but couldn't get by - 2nd again.

On Saturday I played both Laurel's "Fall Festival of Racing" card which had multiple stakes events and Del Mar's Grade 1 Hollywood Derby card which had three graded stakes on the inner turf course.  We were finishing our Thanksgiving visit in Orlando so I got on Xpressbet.com and made my bets mid-morning and then waited until we were home and had had dinner before I watched the replays.  Certainly, I thought....CERTAINLY I'll do better for the day than the first two days!  I pulled up Laurel's replays and wasn't surprised that my top pick was the 4/5 favorite, he looked awfully solid.  Cruised up to second mid-way on the turn, but then a 5/1 runner went right on by.  Seriously?  Second.  I was 5/1 with my next pick....second, AGAIN.  After a dismal 7th at 3/1 it was my BEST of the Day at Laurel, and I was delighted I was 2/1 while the favorite was 3/5.  We moved together on the turn, then the favorite distanced me as I was 2nd, yet again.  Lost again when outrun in back-to-back stakes to run the skid to six on the day before the last race of the day at Laurel, a claiming event going a one-turn mile.  I had Rumsom Rally who entered this "beaten" event with a dubious 29/2-9-5 record.  But what drew my attention was that DRF handicapper Dan Illman made him his best of the day.  He came from off the pace, which explained the many in-the-money-finishes and still I wondered.  But what caught my eye was Illman's comments that (a) he was blocked last time through the stretch and (b) the barn was a whopping 43% with class droppers at Laurel.  Good enough.  But after the opening quarter of a mile Rumsom Rally was so, SO far back that I did something I N-E-V-E-R do....I fast forwarded the replay because there was no way I could make up over twenty lengths, right.  I picked up the race midway on the turn and I saw a flash of the pink saddle cloth for #8 (Rumsom) at the back as he began picking off horses.  He was so SO wide into the lane that he was off the video screen!  How much ground am I making up?????  Then at the 16th pole he came into view with a full head of steam and just blew by the leader to score at a nice $9.60 allowing me to cash for nearly $25 - FINALLY as winner.

On to Del Mar!  Ok, maybe now I'm going to begin cashing some tickets.  I was the 8/5 favorite in an allowance event on the turf with my first pick but was ultra-wide rallying into the lane and was a non threatening sixth.  In the fourth I probably would have passed the race, but Parnelli was Brad Free's BEST BET of the Day, and he's the only handicapper left that when he makes a horse the "BEST" of the day, I pay attention.  It was a maiden event going a two-turn mile and Parnelli had drawn a $500K sales bid, so somebody thought he had ability.  A good second in his sprint debut, then he stretched out to a mile.  Second again, beaten a neck at 2/5.  Uh oh.  Came back last time, got to the front in the stretch - again at this mile trip - and again, caught....2nd beaten a neck again.  As I commented, we'd find out today if he's either as good as thought when the sales bid went in, or he doesn't have the heart to win.  Sat professionally off the pace to the top of the far turn, cruised by to the front and opened up to win handily.  Didn't make much money but at this point I'm just trying to cash tickets!

The fifth was the first of the trio of graded events, the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante for juveniles going a mile on the turf.  Fluffy Socks was a Chad Brown filly, ridden today by top rider Irad Ortiz.  She had already won one stakes and last time out was a just-miss second, beaten a nose despite having to close into pedestrian fractions of :50.2 and a glacial 1:17.4.  Came flying from near the back today, surged to the front and was just clear under the wire.  I was satisfied that she left the gate at 8/5 despite the angles and as my "best" of the day I cashed for over $40.

 I thought I was going to win two in a row when Flavius came flying off the turn at a generous 5/2 in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit.  Got to the front with a furlong to go, but a deep closer at 8/1 blew by in the final strides and I was second.....again.  That brought us to the final race on the card, of the day, and of the Fall Championship Season......the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.  I had been very impressed with Chad Brown's Domestic Spending when he won his first try vs. winners at Belmont in June off of a Tampa maiden debut win.  He'd looked hopelessly out of it turning for home but exploded through the lane to win.  Watching "America's Day At the Races," hottie handicapper Acacia Courtney remarked we'd be seeing him in stakes company next time out.  Sure enough, he was in Saratoga's Grade 2 Hall of Fame next time out and I liked top 3yo turf runner Decorated Invader that day, and he won for fun.  Next time out in the $500K Saratoga Derby I liked Decorated Invader as well, but Domestic Spending beat him at a big 7/1 price.  Both were in this spot - and several other quality sophomores - but as I remarked in my analysis.....if Chad Brown sent him here and Irad Ortiz was riding, then he had to have a shot.  And at a generous 5/1, he could be my "day-maker."  He was well back, but I KNEW about his closing kick.  He swooped up outside of runners, was wide into the turn but was flying late to be just up in time.  

And he WAS a good price at better than 4/1, paying $10.40 and enabling me to cash for over $50.  Even I was surprised when I pulled up the day's totals and saw that I was a "good" 4-for-12, BUT I'd made a flat bet profit for the day!  WHOOOO HOOOO - that's a great way to end the fall and head into the Gulfstream Championship season :)

Another highlight to the weekend were holiday greetings from several of my gal pals....

LIVE Racing! FINALLY :)

 November 21

A Day At The Downs

In early October I was scrolling through my Twitter feed and saw an announcement that Churchill Downs was going to allow limited fans on track for their Fall November meet.  I immediately reached out to my buddy Keith (who loves Louisville and Churchill Downs) and confirmed he'd be up for a day at the races.  I'd read you had to pre-purchase your tickets so I got us tickets in a reserved box at the 16th pole.  Next I researched hotels - I specifically wanted something like a Residence Inn which had a separate living area and bedroom.  It was difficult to find what I was looking for because I wanted something within about 20 minutes of Churchill Downs, but I preferred for both Keith and I to have our own bedrooms.  He likes to sleep with the TV on and he often snores.  At this point in my life, I'm not interested in having my sleep interrupted.  I found several spots which had a living area - where you can sit in a living room setting - but they all had just a single bedroom with a sleeper sofa.  But I finally found a Homewood Suites by Hilton that was pretty close (about 20 min) and it had not one but two bedrooms.

Booked the flights and looked forward to the trip for about a month.  The week of my flight there was a lot of talk about new precautions for the virus and Keith and I were both concerned about the possibility of the day at the track being shut down to fans.  But, all seemed well on the day before I left.  I called the hotel to confirm our reservation and when I got off the phone I'd missed a call and the caller had left a message.  It was from Twin Spires telling me I had a $240 wagering credit and they wanted to "help me" cash that in.  I called the guy, Steve, right back and told him how ironic it was that I had been on the phone with a hotel in Louisville because I was actually GOING to Churchill Downs on Saturday and could use the credits.  Used to be I had a very active Twin Spires account because Calder Race Course was owned by Churchill Downs and about nine months of the year that's where I did my racing.  But when they closed down the racing part of the operation I switched to Xpressbet (which is now 1stBet) which works through Gulfstream Park, which is open year-round.  But Jeff has been using my Twin Spires account and that's where the wagering credits built up.  Since Jeff no longer plays the races I asked about how to get the credits.  And as it turned out the easiest way was to simply convert the credits into dollars into my Twin Spires account.  And as I explained to Steve, that would work for me as I'd use "their money" to play other tracks, and use my own cash to bet Churchill Downs because since it had been so long since I'd actually been to the races I wanted the full experience, including walking up to the window and wagering with real money.

I left Friday morning from my Mom's at a little before 9 am and set the GPS for Hebron, Kentucky which is just across the Ohio River on the Kentucky side of Cincinnati.  A year ago to this day Kim and I were in Portugal where we were sailing the Douro River with our good friends Dennis & Mary Smith.  And while on board we became best of friends with two other couples - Pam & Bob from the St. Louis area and Mary Pat & Tom from the Cincinnati area.  The eight of us planned to get together this past August in Gatlinburg, but Dennis & Mary had a wedding conflict and at the last minute Pam & Bob had to cancel out.  So it was MP & Tom, with Kim and I and Keith tagged along.  When Kim and I originally were going to the Breeders' Cup in November which was set for Lexington we had coordinated to visit MP & Tom.  But then Keeneland went fan-less.  So when I booked this trip I re-scheduled our visit and so I headed to their place as about a half-way stop.  They had all their Christmas decorations up and I spent about four hours with them, including a lovely lunch of pasta and shrimp.  Was good to see them, and I got back in the car about 3 to meet up with Keith in Louisville.

Keith texted me that he had arrived about fifteen minutes prior to my arrival and I soon joined him in our spacious room.  Kentucky, just this day, had closed down indoor dining so we ordered a pizza and went and picked it up.  Watched television for a few hours and headed to bed in anticipation of a full day of racing the next day.

I slept like a log and actually Keith woke me up at 7:40 am when his key didn't work to get back in after heading out to get bagels for us.  We left the room about 10:40 for Churchill Downs and arrived there right around 11 am.  For me - and let's be clear here......it's my adventure, it's my blog, and so I get to make the rules - I looked at the few bets I was making out of town as strictly "fun bets" and I was using the Twin Spires money, so they would not count as part of my handicapping records (of course unless I had a huge winning day out of town!).  So when we arrived it was about 20 minutes before my first play in New York.  I'd been in my Twin Spires account both on my phone and computer at the hotel, and so when I opened it in my car once I'd parked to make the bet I was amazed that I got "that's an incorrect password" message and subsequently was locked out of my app.  How would I play the off track races and use "their money?"  

So, once inside the Downs I found "Guest Services" and asked about getting help.  They sent us upstairs to the Twin Spires desk, but when we got there they said they weren't open yet.  I said I just needed help with my password and they directed me around the corner to the "Gold Room" where I was told I could get help.  This was interesting because Steve (remember from Twin Spires) had told me when the new protocols went out that the Gold Room was going to be closed and the gal he'd set me up with to get a new VIP Twin Spires card and a voucher wouldn't be available.  Now I'm being told I COULD go to the Gold Room.  Went in and there was a cute Kentucky gal and I asked if she could help me with my password, and she said sure.  As she turned to her laptop I said, "Would you happen to be Becky?"  She smiled and said, "I am indeed," and I said, "I'm Mark Love and Steve said....." she smiled and reached down and gave me my new Twin Spires Club card.  I told her to never mind about the voucher because I'd moved the money into my account (to bet the off track races).  She got on her computer and said, "I've re-set the password, you're good to go!"

So I logged on - got the same "Incorrect Password" message.  What the?  She frowned, typed a few things and said, "Try again."  Same thing...... "Really?" she said sweetly.  So she reached over, got a post-it, and said, "Write down a new password, just as you want it to be and we'll restart again."  I did and got the same message.  Now you could tell Becky was perplexed.  I handed my phone to her and she kept trying over and over.  After about the fifth time, I said, "That's ok" and she looked at me with eyes full of determination and said, "No, I WILL figure this out for you."  Finally a big smile broke out on her pretty face and she said, "There you go!"  I asked her what she did different and she had dropped the last character off the new password and it worked.  Horray, thanks Becky!  So Keith and made our bet on the live opener and headed out to the rail.  The opener in Louisville looked to be all, and I mean ALL about the rail filly Misty Blue.  The filly was clearly the speed of the race and if she ran back to her 84 Beyer two back in allowance company she would be L-O-N-G gone.  Today was also her first start for a tag, and I viewed the $50K tag as a reasonable move, not a "fire sale" kind of thing.  This six furlong distance is clearly her best (3-for-7 while 0-for-6 at all other trips).  And she had quick recent works.  She broke a step slowly, but by the time they had clicked off the opening quarter she was clear on the lead.  Midway on the turn the stalkers were asked for run, but Misty Blue let it out a notch and she was long-LONG gone.  First live bet in a LONG time and it's a winning one!  Whoooo hoooo.  As soon as the race was official I had a thought.....I knew I'd be chronicling the day's events and that I'd have to tell the story about the card and password.  So I returned to the Gold Room and proposed to Becky the idea that we take a photo together to "commemorate" the exchange and she was all for it.  When I turned the camera on with the ticket in my hand, I asked if she minded if I took my mask off, she said of course not and took hers off then suggested she hold the winning ticket.  And so here's the result....

A great start.  We made our bets for the second race and went back outside, but this time to our box seats.  No one seemed to be paying attention to "assigned" seats so we took up a spot on the finish line.  The second was a maiden event and I said in my analysis that under normal circumstances this was a clear PASS race, but since we are here watching live racing, why not play?  So I took the 7/2 third choice.  Left the gate at 5/1 and broke last and trailed the field all the way around the track.  Should have watched.  The third was a third level allowance event and the class of Chocolate Kisses just leapt off the the past performance page.  If you only considered her two-turn events - and this was a mile and a sixteenth event - she showed a win last spring in the Grade 3 Honeybee at this trip.  She'd run in five other stakes since, including four graded events.  She'd come off a layoff to run in a one-turn mile and missed by just 3/4 of a length.  The second off the shelf conditioning and the added distance all made her more enticing.  As they turned for home she was on the move but as I stood at the rail I could tell it would be close.  Jockey Tyler Gaffalione timed it perfectly and just as she passed me she got her head in front to score with my triple investment on board!

Next up was a 2yo claiming event and it was a complete toss-up.  Couldn't find anyone who was worthy of even a "fun bet."  The 5/2 third choice walked with it.  In the fifth was another maiden event for juveniles.  Cane Creek Road had debuted in a rich $150K event at Keeneland.  So the "drop" today to $40K seemed reasonable for the Brad Cox trainee.  Stalked the pace as the 6/5 choice into the turn then had no late punch....fourth.  I was surprised at the number of people both inside and outside.  But the facility is so big that it seemed like there were fewer than there were.  Still, good to see real people at the track watching the races (live or simulcast) and making bets.

The sixth was another maiden sprint and I liked three potential win candidates.  Went with what ended up being the mild 9/5 chalk and he pressed the issue into the turn before fading to sixth.  The seventh was a starter optional claiming sprint and Kiffle looked to be loose and long gone as the favorite IF she could clear early.  Walked out to the paddock, walking ring before the race to see them circling around, always a cool part of the racing day.  She was sent off as the 9/5 favorite she broke quickly but was outsprinted to the lead by a 9/1 longshot.  Approaching the turn she glided to the front and extended the lead to over two lengths heading into the lane.  For about 100 yards I thought we were home free.  But with a furlong to go I could tell the rider was begging her to finish but two stalkers were making up ground.  We got inside the 16th pole and it was a "WHERE'S THE WIRE!" kind of finish.....

So close, but in the end third.  The eighth was a difficult 2yo sprint for maidens going 6 1/2 furlongs.  I went with two-time beaten favorite Wild Combo.  She was a fair 7/2 price today but was four wide while contesting the lead into the far turn.  Faded to a non-threatening seventh.  And that brought us to the featured Grade 3 Chulukki Stakes.  The 2nd and 3rd finishers from Keeneland's Grade 2 Raven Run were back to renew their rivalry and Finite had finished just half a length in front of the lightly raced Grade Cru Classe.  But to me, it was all about Finite.  She'd won four straight last winter heading into the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks.  She was 1/5 at post time and seemed on her way to the Kentucky Oaks as one of the likely favorites.  Flat as a pancake she ran fourth and that was the end of her spring.  Came off a break and tried turf - hated it.  Then last time out she ran in that graded sprint off a layoff.  Narrowly beaten she missed by a neck to a talented So Cal filly.  Second off the break today and stretching out to a mile I thought she was tons the best IF she could return to her winter form.  Finite broke sharply but settled seventh of eight behind a wicked pace.  She moved four wide on the turn and began picking off fillies one by one.  At the top of the stretch she collared the survivor of the pace duel and began to edge clear as she ran by me standing along the rail. 

My THIRD win on the day to finish 3-for-8, nearly 40%.....I'll take it.  Finished a little behind on the day, but it was a GREAT day.

November 21st Racing Highlights

July 23 - 26

The summer winning just keeps on rolling!  Pretty amazing actually.  The original plan going back several weeks was to cut back on the racing to just Friday through Sunday.  Then there were good stakes races on Thursday; then Keeneland opened; then Saratoga opened.  And I thought THIS week we'll begin that calendar.  But then I saw that one of the best sprinters in Canada was running on Thursday so I added Woodbine on Thursday to start the week.  By the time the last horse had crossed the finish line on Sunday my week's totals looked like this.....

WOW.  What a remarkable week, eh?  And it was a big week on the social scene as well.  So let's get to the weekly recap.....

Thursday July 23

When I saw that Woodbine was running a stakes on Thursday and that in that sprint event was Pink Lloyd, who was gunning for his 24th career win I knew I had to play.  I actually, having "decided" that I would only play Friday through Sunday, thought about just playing the stakes race and not even handicapping the card.  But on Wednesday I thought, "what else am I going to do?"  So I looked at the card and came up with four races I liked.  Neither of the first two races interested me but in the third, a juvenile 5 1/2 furlong sprint for maiden specials I liked Dancing Dragon.  In his late June debut he'd gotten away slowly, but rushed up to duel through a :21 and change quarter.  Cleared into the lane and was caught late.  If he could get away cleanly today and withthe added experience I thought he'd prove tough to real in  All that came true except as they got close to the wire he was tiring and/or the finishers were coming.....PHOTO FINISH.

I was pretty sure I held on but I wasn't positive until it went official.  Only had the minimum, but always good to win the first bet of the week.  Was a distant sixth at 3/1 in the fourth and passed the fifth.  In the sixth it was a conditioned allowance going six and a half furlongs.  There were several solid win contenders but I liked what Piven brought to the table.  He'd had a prep race to shake off the rust when running on the Gulfstream turf in April.  Then shipped home to Toronto and had first a bullet work and then a 2nd best of one hundred and twenty-one moves for this.  WOW.  AND one of his best career efforts had come here at this distance.  He was behind a wall of horses heading out of the far turn, but got a seam up the rail.  Burst through and held off the closers down the middle of the lane.  Best of all.....check out the price:

Oh that's right, I'm cashing for nearly $60 on my second win with the BEST of the WEEK coming up next.  In the featured Shepparton there was simply no beating Pink Lloyd unless he just didn't show up.  He had built a career mark of 28/23-1-1 and was a multi-millionaire as well as a multiple graded stakes winner.  In addition, his last EIGHT speed figures going back a year would beat 78 of the 79 career races run by tonight's rivals.  AND he had fired a bullet work since his win last time out in the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier.  Sat patiently behind the dueling front runners to the head of the lane.  Moved off the rail and into the clear and then blew by as easy as he pleased.  Somehow the crowd played a lot of "value bets" - which was pretty much just throwing their money away because some how Pink Lloyd floated up to better than 1/5 and I cashed for $65 on my best bet.

So for the day I finished 3-for-4 and nearly doubled my money.....

Friday July 24
The rains came down on the Jersey Shore and of the six races - where I had four picks - all the races came off the turf leaving me with but a single bet.  And that minimum play was dead last.  So it goes, on to Saturday's races.

Saturday July 25
Today there were several stakes races I was interested in as I went through four different tracks and their offerings.  I handicapped Monmouth and came up with several selections and two big time (not quite prime time) plays and felt good about the day's picks.  Then as I went through the other three sets of past performances and I kept passing one race after another as I just couldn't find many runners that I felt like offered enough of an advantage to wager on.  I kept wondering if I was tired, or just not "seeing it."  But in the end I had just fifteen races on my selection sheet which began at 10:30 in the morning and didn't finish until 9:30 pm at night.  The reason for the early start was that the superstar European mare Enable was running at Ascot in the Group 1 King George & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.  I looked up what the analysts were saying and most were of the opinion that she had "needed" her last and would run big today.  And when I went to watch and wager I saw it was a four horse field and one of them had scratched.  She'd have to really be off her game to not win here.  I was concerned when the front runner opened up easily and was more than half a dozen lengths in front, even as they made the turn for home.  But once Euro superstar jockey Frankie Dettori gave her the "GO" she took off like a shot and easily, EASILY blew by to win by daylight.  And the day was off to a great start!

It was over two hours to the next race.  Missed in the first two races of the afternoon before I went on a nice run.  The second at Saratoga was a maiden race for 3yo and up and Todd Pletcher was sending out Midnight Surprise for her debut.  I thought that unless something happened unexpected, it was either than filly or the favorite.  And then the favorite scratched at the gate.  Probably should have upped the bet at that point but I decided to stay with the minimum play.  Pressed the pace in third behind the speed, then angled out into the clear and opened up.  Then held the late runners safe to score as the 9/5 favorite.

The only bet of the day at Woodbine was in their Grade 3 Marine Stakes which featured last out debut winner Shirl's Speight.  And from the way she'd run and the press she'd received I really thought she might be a star in the making.  Coming off a dazzling maiden win, could this colt be that good?  The short answer, yes.....pressed from third to the turn, took over willingly and opened up by daylight.  Under wraps through the final 16th and on to bigger and better things.

Next was a maiden claiming turf sprint at Monmouth.  But because of the weather yesterday it was on the main track.  And as I wrote.....it seems like it's the "Paco Show," but honestly it nearly always gets the call on the best horse and just wins a lot.  So Your Awesome Boss looked the part on paper.  Pressed the pace to the top of the lane, glided up and I thought he'd roll right on by but the leader would not give in.....PHOTO FINISH!

Whew, I got the nod and cashed on my third winner in a row.  Next on the page was literally the only disappointment of the day.  Chad Brown's champion mare Sistercharlie was running in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga.  And yes, this mile and a sixteenth was as short as she could go and be effective, but she'd done it before and she had always run big off the shelf, like most Brown turf runners.  She was my best of the day.  Tracked from off the pace and I thought too far back.  Came with a run, but not a big run.  A non-threatening third.  Not what I was expecting at all.  I had three straight plays at Monmouth as I had a pick at Saratoga scratch.  In the fifth at Monmouth, a starter optional claiming event, Final Prospect looked a legitimate short-priced favorite and ran away as tons the best.  And came right back with Dalton a second time starting two-year-old for trainer Jorge Delgado who's winning with Paco Lopez at a nearly 40% clip.  That one dueled to mid-stretch, then edged clear to score.

The eighth at Monmouth looked like a carbon-copy of the seventh....Delgado and Lopez with a maiden who'd debuted with a "good" first start and probably would take a big step forward today.  Always Alright was plunging from a $40K Belmont try to this $10K spot.  Went right to the front under a confident hand ride.  Got the patented "Paco look-back" on the far turn and I knew it was all over.  Somehow the crowd let him go off at 6/5 and I cashed for nearly $25.

Next up was the feature from Monmouth, the Irish War Cry going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf.  But it, like the other turf events today, had come off the grass.  For my top choice, Golden Brown this probably played into his hands, although last year he won back-to-back stakes on the grass here.  But as Monmouth handicapper Brad Thomas said, Golden Brown is probably a Grade 3 type dirt runner going a route of ground.  He'd come off the layoff and run in a dirt sprint stakes at the beginning of the meet, but this one mile event was right up his alley.  Somehow the crowd made him the second choice at 6/5 odds.  He tracked the pace to the far turn and while the even money favorite skimmed the rail to pass the early pace setters, Golden Brown went four wide all around the turn and came to even terms entering the stretch.  Just way too much horse for that one and he pulled clear in the final 16th and I had yet ANOTHER winner on the Jersey Shore.

The triple investment I had on him led to a payoff of over thirty dollars.  Missed in the Del Mar opener and then it was time for the Grade 1 Vanderbilt at Saratoga.  As they went into the gate there were only four left in the field.  Three were multiple graded stakes winners - who had all been my top choice in victory on other days - and rising star Volatile from the Steve Asmussen barn.  He'd blistered the Aristides Stakes at Churchill with a whopping 112 Beyer last time out.  And there was reason to believe that while he could regress, he also might probably actually improve.  Third off the layoff and with a bullet work - I went with the rising star.  Right out of the gate the other three left him all alone on the front end.  Jockey Ricardo Santana craftily slowed the pace to a crawl going :23 and change for the opening quarter and :46 and change for the half.  That's slow for cheap claimers!  I knew he was long gone.  When the other three were asked for run as they spun out of the turn Volatile had plenty, PLENTY left and won going away as easily best today.

Lost my final play at Monmouth due to a scratch and all I had left were the two big stakes events at Monmouth.  Because the post time for those were not until 9 pm and 9:30 pm EST we all went out to dinner at the marina (see group photo on the banner).  And then we watched some television.  When everyone else was winding down for bed Keith and I watched the two stakes.  The first was the Grade 2 San Clemente on the turf going a mile.  I thought that while you probably could make "a case" for many of these, Laura's Light stood out to me.  She had earned a 4/3-1-0 record on the grass and exited a win in the Grade 3 Honeymoon at nine furlongs which was probably too far for her.  Looked to sit right off the pace and prove best.  I couldn't have envisioned it more perfectly.  Pressed the leader, took the lead coming out of the turn, opened up and held the closers safe.  Nice!

The final race on the Saturday card was the Grade 2 San Diego going a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.  And the star attraction of the day was Maximum Security who was the Eclipse Award winner as 3yo champion and had last been seen winning the $20 Million Saudi Cup.  But since then his trainer, Jason Servis had been suspended and facing charges on drugging horses, so now Maximum Security was under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.  How would he adapt to the new training regimen and how would he do on the west coast?  And a question for me was with all the top riders out there, it was "interesting" that young and talented rider Abel Cedillo had earned the call.  Hmmm, where's Mike Smith, Victor Espinoza, or Flavian Pratt?  My plan was to put a double investment on him, but I just had a "sense" that he WOULD run big, so I upped it a notch.  Broke sharply to the front but two others insisted on the lead so Cedillo let him stalk in third.  Heading into the far turn he had to work on Maximum Security to get him involved and he slowly began to wear down the 6/1 front runner.  But in the stretch that one was all heart and the two of them put on a real show.  Head up and head down, bobbing to the wire....PHOTO FINISH.  Both Keith and I as we watched the finish live and the slow-motion replays were pretty sure Maximum Security had indeed won, but as you can see in the photo it was awfully, AWFULLY close.  Sent off as the 2/5 favorite I didn't make a lot of money, but the win capped a huge day.  After the feeling that today wouldn't be that good of a day for racing and really I didn't have a lot of "solid" selections my results turned out like this.  Fifteen selections total including six stakes events.  I won with an amazing ELEVEN of my selections and won five of the six stakes events on my selection sheet.  Having preceded that big Saturday action with a 3-for-4 Thursday night, I am certainly having a great week of racing!

I found it interesting that a player on Twitter commented about how "good" the TVG analysts were, especially as I am piling up the impressive WIN and profit stats.....

Sunday July 26
Like so many other weekends where I've had a big Saturday I felt confident in my Sunday picks, but I know how the numbers often even out and I wasn't anxious to lose all the momentum (and money) I'd built up over the last three days.  But the day played out nicely.....in the opener we were going five furlongs on the turf in a MSW event.  Francatelli was sent off as the favorite and if he ran to his debut off-the-turf when earning a huge 79 Beyer (and I thought he would because his second start was around two turns and he ran well before tiring).  He was a massive horse in physical size and he went right to the front.  As announcer Frank Miramahdi called it, "this was over after the first three jumps out of the gate" as he wired them in hand.

Missed on the next two but in the fifth Smithwick's Spice looked like a standout to me.  He was coming off a sharp effort last time when he earned a figure near the top of what he'd earned in the past.  But, in looking down his past performances, every time he'd come off a break his SECOND race was a big jump forward.  Well that big number last time came FIRST off the bench.  So while he could bounce as they say, I was more of the opinion he'd jump forward and if that was the case he'd win by a pole.  He was also dropping from open company into a state-bred event.  Just WALKED with it and my triple investment returned $5.80 as the inflated 9/5 favorite.  Cashed for well over forty dollars.  WHOOO HOOOO.

My final win of the week came in the featured Jersey Derby for 3yo going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf.  It seemed so obvious to me that Paco Lopez had been lured to ride Vanzzy because he was so talented and would go off as the odds-on choice.  While he'd only been on the turf twice, he'd run competitively in both tries and had been defeated by two of the top three-year-old turf runners in the country.  The move to a listed event here against the present company made him look awfully enticing, and that's without the top rider.  He had the ideal trip into the far turn, saving ground all the way.  And as the leaders lined up four across the track Lopez made the choice to stay inside.  THAT is why he's the leading jockey because a seam opened up and he did NOT have to lose all kinds of ground by swinging wide to get running room.  He burst through and quickly was daylight clear and went on to win as much the best.

But the BEST part was that he was NOT the post time favorite and went off at a generous 5/2 price.  With the triple investment I had on him I cashed for well over $50 to close the day out.  And for the week I had scored at a big win percentage with a nice profit to boot.

Our Life In Cape Coral
The first segment of my social life came when I reached out to "my girl" in the CBS news department for information.  A lot of people have reported NOT being tested for the virus and yet they are informed after leaving the testing site that they were not only tested, but came up positive.  Lauren provided me with a link that explained how the system gets all messed up if someone leaves the testing line and this leads to a chain of events where a lot of people get the wrong results.  More examples of this thing is just a huge mess.

That came as we were heading out to Fort Lauderdale for a few days to pick up my sister and niece.  That's the second piece of news, as you see in the banner for this week, they came back with us to Cape Coral and will be here until August 6th.  This upcoming Tuesday my Mom arrives for a week to coincide with my birthday next weekend.  And over the weekend all the kids and grandkids will be here for the big party.  Good times ahead.  Lastly, finally we were able to get out on the field with the Oasis High football team on Monday following the last day of racing.  Good to be back in the coaching scene and especially to be sharing the experience with my oldest son and my best pal.